RECOVERY workers at the site of the World Trade Centre were yesterday hoping to find more bodies after discovering the remains of 15 victims of September 11 terror attacks on New York.

The bodies of 13 firefighters and two civilians were found at ground zero last night by rescue workers who are digging through debris which is all that remains of what was the south tower.

The pile had been used as an access ramp to allow the rest of the remains of the collapsed towers to be cleared and is now the only major outstanding area of the 16-acre site which is still to be sifted for bodies.

Among the bodies recovered was that of firefighter John Tipping, whose father, also John, a retired fire-fighter, went to the scene to help carry his son's remains.

The dead firefighter was a member of Engine 54, Ladder Four, a company of firefighters from mid-town Manhattan which was wiped out on September 11.

His body is only the second of the team's 12 dead members to be found.

Richard Sheirer, commissioner of New York's office of emergency management, told the New York Daily News, "We believe there were a lot of people in this area.

"We are hoping we will find many firefighters and civilians. But I don't want to build up expectations."

New York Fire Department deputy assistant chief Edward Kalletta told the New York Times, "We have been waiting to get to this area for a long time.

"We hope we find a lot more of our guys. Let's hope we find more."

The finds meant 148 of the 343 firefighters who died have now been found in the ruins but more than 2,000 civilians remain unaccounted for.

DNA tests are being carried out on thousands of body parts which have been recovered at the scene of the collapse but relatives have been warned it may take many months for the tests to be completed.